Blogging is a great way to make passive income, quit your 9 to 5 job, and become financially independents. But how much does it cost to start and run a blog?
Having run multiple blogs for nearly a decade, I know a thing or two about how much you need to spend to run a blog.
How much it costs to start and run a blog depends on where you host your site, the type themes and plugins you use, who writes your content, and who conducts your SEO campaign. The cost may be recurring, and you’re likely to spend more or less, depending on what type of blogger you’re.
In this guide, I’ll break down the trust cost of starting a blog from scratch to give you a clear picture of how much you should be ready to spend.
I’ve decided to keep this guide as short as possible, so you can have only the most important information to get you started with building and running your site.
How Much Should You Spend to Start a Blog?
You will need three things to setup a blog from scratch:
- Domain name
- Web hosting and
- A blogging platform
1. Domain Name
A domain is the first property to consider when you’re ready to start a blog. And based on my blog name selection guide, I can stress how important it is to choose a brandable domain.
But how much does the domain name cost?
The true cost of a domain name depends on the registrar you use. Quite too often, the average range falls between $6 and $15 per year for fresh domains.
Note that there are also expired domains, which already have authority because for their link profiles. These are often expensive, going up to $6,000 depending on the power of the domain.
To be abundantly clear, you don’t need to invest in an expensive expired domain to build a blog on. In my guide to write a blog post, I teach exactly how to create content that ranks – even in what many bloggers believe to be saturated niches.
2. Web Hosting
You will need a hosting plan to host your domain and establish an online presence that people can reach. Again, how much you pay for hosting depends on the company you choose.
Here’s a simple comparison table of the hosting costs charged by some of the top agencies in the business:
Web Hosts | Shared | WordPress | VPS | Dedicated |
Bluehost | $2.95/m | $2.95/m | $18.99/m | $79.99/m |
Hostinger | $1.99/m | $1.99/m | $2.99/m | Unavailable |
HostArmada | $2.99/m | $2.99/m | $41.21/m | $111.75/m |
HostGator | $2.75/m | $5.95/m | $23.95/m | $89.98/m |
GreenGeeks | $2.95/m | $2.95/m | $39.95/m | $169/m |
WPX | Unavailable | $20.83/m | Unavailable | Unavailable |
GoDaddy | $3.99/m | $8.99/m | $4.99/m | $129.99/m |
Namecheap | $1.88/m | $4.88/m | $9.88/m | $47.88/m |
FastComet | $2.95/m | $2.95/m | $47.95/m | $111.19/m |
HostPapa | $3.95/m | $3.95/m | $19.99/m | Unavailable |
As you can see, the hosting cost per month varies from company to company.
It helps to read the review of each web hosting company to understand what they offer as well as their pros and cons.
In general, the average cost for a web hosting is $10 a month. It’s the common denominator for shared and WordPress hosting, so you need to look at how much you’re willing to spend to make up your mind on the company to host your blog and the hosting package to choose.
Web hosting companies such as Bluehost, Green Geeks, Site Ground, and Namecheap even give you the option to pay an annual fee for hosting.
On overage, you’re likely to spend $60 to $120 a year for hosting depending on the company you choose.
3. Blogging Platform
You’ll be using the WordPress CMS to run your blog.
Developed by WordPress foundation, WordPress is a 100% free Content Management System that lets you create a blog from scratch without writing line of code.
Over 90% of web hosting companies now offer the one-click WordPress install option, which allows you to setup a fully functional blog in under 20 minutes.
Generally, it will cost you roughly $150 to buy a domain and get a hosting plan for the first year and equally the same amount every year to keep the blog active online.
What’s the Cost of Running a Blog?
There’s more to the cost of running a blog than just buying a domain name and hosting plan. Here are additional factors to look at:
1. WordPress Themes
WordPress has a ton of default themes you can install and activate for $0. So you don’t have to pay anything if you find the free versions sufficient for you need.
However, if you need more customization options to give your blog a more professional look, you should consider buying premium themes.
A good premium theme will cost you at least $49.99 for a single license and up to $250 for a lifetime license. Check my guide on theme selection to learn more.
2. WordPress Plugins
WordPress plugins extend the functionality of your site and lets you convert your blog into an SEO and reader-friendly platform.
There are many good plugins in the WordPress repository, and I don’t think you need to buy any premium option to improve the quality of your site.
3. Keyword Research Tools
Keyword research is important in the blogging business because it helps you to understand what searchers are looking for.
Also, it can help you build topic clusters and create content in a way that help you build authority and dominate your niche.
There are free and paid keyword research tools, so it’s up to you to decide what option works best for you.
4. Content Writing Solution
Here’s the deal:
You’re going to have to hire writers to create content for you if you’re not a writer yourself. And the cost of every piece of post you want written will depend on the type, depth and length of the content.
Every writer charges differently for his or her content writing service. So there’s a level of flexibility when it comes to writer selection.
If you can write your content yourself, you’ll spend $0.
Conclusion
It isn’t expensive to run a blog. You just have to figure out how much you’re likely to spend every month and budget accordingly.
Keep in mind that you aren’t going to get a ROI fast. Blogging is a business model that requires you to put in the work now for a payday later.